Tim Rhodus's Posts

Make Prayer Natural

Posted by Tim Rhodus on January 8, 2015 at 9:00

I’ve been writing about prayer (communication with God) the past couple weeks. Most people struggle with prayer. I’m writing about ways to make it more natural and simpler.

Another idea that enhances your communication with God is making lists about various areas of your life or areas you want to talk to God about in the future. Praying through list helps focus your prayers. Something about list that is great is it is easy to keep track of the prayers God has answered over time.

You can also pray bible verses. Use the verse as an outline of your conversation with God. Meditate on the passages or a verse that speaks powerfully to you. Memorize them, and personalize them, then talk to God about whatever you need to apply to your life. When you pray, do so on the basis of what God has already promised or commanded in the Bible, since that will make your prayers line up with God's will.

Make the most of the downtime you have each day by praying in situations like; sitting in a doctor's or dentist's office, or driving down the interstate, waiting in line to pick up your kids from school, waiting for your car’s oil to be changed, or sitting in a car wash, standing in line, sitting in traffic, waiting to be served in a restaurant, cleaning up after a meal, mowing the lawn or working in the garden, listening to music, trying to fall asleep, taking a bath or shower, sitting at the computer, watching your kids play, taking a walk, or watching television. View every moment of downtime you experience as an opportunity to talk to God.

I always encourage people to just talk with God about whatever comes to them. Whenever life throws circumstances at you for which you're not prepared, make prayer your first response to them. Instead of letting yourself become overwhelmed, wasting time and energy worrying, or trying to solve problems in your own limited strength, pray when you first encounter challenges to release God's power into those situations right away.

I’m running out of time so allow me to briefly mention a few more ways to enhance your prayer life. Frame your request in terms of biblical principles to make sure you're asking according to His will. Seek the answer to your prayer by taking action after you ask. Don't just wait around for God to magically drop the answer in your lap without you doing anything that will move you closer to your goal. Keep knocking on God's door persistently while you wait for Him to answer your prayers; don't give up.

Pray about small things as well as large things. Remember that nothing is too small to pray about; everything is significant to God because it's a part of your life and He loves you deeply. So go ahead and pray about whatever thoughts and feelings occur to you and whatever experiences you have. Don't hold back. Make a habit of connecting to God through prayer constantly.

And lastly, expect God to answer. Judson Cornwall stated, “Empty hearts, prayerless spirits, tired bodies, undisciplined minds, unopened bibles, and careless attitudes have ruined more worship services then all the demonic activity of Hell. E. M. Bounds said, “Prayer is not preparation for battle, prayer is the battle.”

The Power of Brief Prayers

Posted by Tim Rhodus on January 7, 2015 at 8:00

Incorporating brief prayers into your daily life will put you in frequent contact with God, which will make your prayer life rich and full, no matter how busy you are. Scripture says we are to “pray without ceasing”.

I’ve heard people say that it is not possible to actually “pray without ceasing”. But it is possible. Prayer is simply communication with God. We can be in praying without ceasing as we develop an attitude and a mindset of prayer that causes you to communicate with God constantly throughout your day.

One way we can enhance our prayer life is by just paying attention. Notice the abundance of opportunities you have to pray all around you, and make a habit of praying as you encounter various needs from people and situations in your life. Instead of just praying about what's routinely on your mind, make time to pray every time you interact with someone who needs God's touch or deal with something that could benefit from God's intervention.

The more we talk with God about the things we see unfolding around us, the more we will see God at work around us. I would encourage you to seek to become a significant force for change in your community by talking to God about the things you see and sense by listening for the Holy Spirit's prompting. Expect the Holy Spirit to nudge you to pray about people or situations you may never have thought of on your own. Whenever that happens, respond right then, praying while the need is fresh in your mind. Then enjoy watching how God answers your prayers.

We can also use information from the media. Whenever a news story catches your attention, talk to God about it. Remember that, while you probably don't personally know the people involved, they're real people in real situations that need God's help. Intercede using the specific details you've learned from the news story, asking God to transform the people's hearts and impact the situations according to His will. Rather than assuming you know the best outcome (such as in the case of a political election), simply pray for God's will to be done. Be assured that by praying about world events, you're tapping into real, unlimited power that can change the world for the better in powerful ways.

Try getting out of the rut of praying for the same old subjects over and over again. As you go through each day, deliberately shift from one topic to another so you can touch on a wide variety of subjects, like: family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, the government, the war on terror, people of other religions, your church, your small group, your city or county, your children's teachers and classmates, your upcoming vacation, moral issues, upcoming legislation, and the criminal justice system.

Be creative, exploring new ground as you pray. Prayer is a gift from God without substitute. Prayer in the hand of faith is the key to the immeasurable, unimaginable resources of God.

Hey CrossChurch!

Posted by Tim Rhodus on January 6, 2015 at 9:30

Hey Cross Church,

Our prayer for the past 15 years has been from 1 Kings 18:36; Father, let it be known today that you are God in Carlinville & Macoupin County and that we are Your servants and have done all these things by Your command. Answer us, O Lord, answer us, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again! (1 Kings 18:36)

At Cross Church, we want to see God do things in such a way that most cynical person around us KNOWS that what just happened could only be have occurred by the power of the living God!

Churches filled with spectators and consumer thinking attenders will never consistently experience the power of the Holy Spirit carrying out the work of God in and through them. We need players wanting desperately to get on the field so than can make a difference, not just more spectators in the crowd eating popcorn and giving their commentary of "the game".

Many churches seek some definition of success; growth, buildings, mission trips, baptisms, recognition, having a lot of money in the bank, great teaching or programing, great music, etc. Being "successful" as a church is a dangerous place to be. It is a trap. Christ never called a church be successful by statistical standards, or any of the various human standards. We are called to make a difference that last for eternity. We are called to be the ambassadors of Christ as we carry God's message of hope, restoration, and reconciliation to those around us.

At Cross Church, we are not trying to be "successful". We careless about statistics for statistic purposes. Stats are merely like a scoreboard in a football game. But real "success" is about things like making a difference, surrender, selflessness, generosity, and life transformation. Good stats cannot replace life transformation, but IF life transformation is occurring, having good stats will take care of itself.

Cross Church is a place of hope & restoration. We are a culture of redemption. We WILL BE faithful to the redemptive potential that God has entrusted to us.

God Hears Short Prayers Too

Posted by Tim Rhodus on January 6, 2015 at 8:08

Have you ever felt guilty because you did not have long stretches of time to send lengthy prayers to God? Or have you felt condemnation because your prayer life was inconsistent?

Remember God hears the short prayers you offer throughout your day too; like while you're driving, exercising, working, or eating, and yes, He'll answer them, too.

Incorporating brief prayers into your daily life will put you in frequent contact with God, which will make your prayer life rich and full, no matter how busy you are. Scripture says we are to “pray without ceasing”. The only way to pray without ceasing is to develop an attitude and a mindset of prayer that causes you to communicate with God constantly throughout your day.

Remember prayer is a religious term that simply means to communicate with God. Prayer is to be two-way communication. Here are some ways you can pray as you go through your daily life:

First, recognize the opportunities. Know that everything that comes your way is an opportunity for you to pray about something. Realize that tremendous power you have to change the world for the better through your prayers, and decide to use that power to the fullest. Ask God to give you His perspective on the people and situations you encounter so you'll be motivated to pray for them.

Second, don't stop. Think of prayer as something you can do continuously, without stopping. See it as ongoing communication with God. Remember that God is always present with you. Aim to check in with Him often through prayer.

Third, be natural. Understand that prayer should come as naturally to you as breathing does. Don't worry about trying to follow any type of formula for prayer; instead, simply pray in the way that works best for you at a particular time. Be assured that God will hear your prayers even if you don't go to a special place, kneel, close your eyes, speak your prayer aloud, use elaborate language, or pray for a certain amount of time. Relax and focus just on communicating with God in whatever way works best for you.

Fourth, be creative. Realize that prayer shouldn't be boring; it should be enjoyable and interesting. Rather than praying about the same old subjects over and over, pray about new topics, as well. Instead of using the same format for your prayers, mix up the order and change the style for variety. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you pray, so the process will be exciting.

Let Satan’s masterstroke is to use complacency, laziness, lack of discipline, etc, to cause the Church to lay aside prayer as a weapon. Satan does not mind what we do as long as we leave the power of Almighty God out of it.

The Next Morning...

Posted by Tim Rhodus on October 26, 2012 at 16:00

"The next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray." (Mark 1:35) I've always loved Mark 1:35. It motivates me to seek God early in the morning. But I never fully appreciated it until I examined the phrase: "the next morning."

So what happened the day before? The context is the key to this text. Jesus had a long day the day before. He preached a sermon. He cast out a demon. And he healed a multitude of people. As a pastor, I know how exhausting it is to simply preach an anointed sermon. Believe it or not, simply preaching one sermon is a tremendous expenditure of physical, spiritual, and emotional energy. Can you imagine how much spiritual energy it took to cast out a demon or heal the sick? Jesus had to be absolutely exhausted. But "the next morning" he got up early to engage God through prayer. (Of course, he also probably when to bed early since Sunday night football had not yet been discovered)

Jesus had experienced a successful day by any standard. Success is a dangerous thing. For so many people, success is actually their undoing. They let down their guard and give the enemy a foothold. And that's when the blessing of success turns into a curse of failure because they stop seeking the true source of success.

We tend to pray more during our times of struggle than we do during our times of success. However, when God blesses you, you better pray even more. Any measure of success God gives you should result in seeking Him even more. Satan’s masterplan is to use complacency, laziness, lack of discipline, etc…to cause Christ-followers to lay aside prayer as a vital part of their day. Satan does not mind what we do as long as we leave the power of God out of it.

Prayer is simply communication with God. As with any other form of communication, all real communication is two-way communication. Prayer comes in all kinds of forms, but in Mark 1:35 the implication leans toward a regular extended time of focusing on communication with God. The Mark 1:35 kind of prayer does not have to happen early in the morning. Some people are just not morning people. The point is to regularly make time to engage God in two-way communication that will focus you and align you will God’s plans for you.

Prayerlessness is sin. Prayerlessness keeps you from being aligned with God’s plan for your life. The only way to overcome prayerlessness is simply to begin praying on a regular basis. Prayer refocuses us, energizes us, and allows God an opportunity to communicate His heart and plans to us. Imagine that for a moment; the creator of all that is, wants to enter into a two-way communication relationship with you. He wants time with you. He has given you direct access to Himself because He loves you.

Prayer is an important part of every Christ-follower’s spiritual disciplines. E.M. Bounds said it this way; “Prayer is a gift from God without substitute. It is the key to the resources of God. Prayer is not preparation for battle, prayer is the battle.” Just a thought.